The City of Arcata Announces the Resignation of Councilmember Sofia Pereira

City of ArcataPress release from the City of Arcata:

Council Member Sofia Pereira will be stepping down from her position on the Arcata City Council, effective Friday, June 25.

Pereira was first elected to the Arcata City Council in 2014 and served as a Council Member for over six consecutive years, serving as Mayor in 2018 and 2021. She has represented the region on Governor Newsom’s Council of Regional Homeless Advisors and has served the community on many boards for organizations including the Humboldt Waste Management Authority, Arcata House Partnership, the Redwood Region Economic Development Commission, in addition to her service with Humboldt State University Liaison’s Working Group and the Humboldt Bay Municipal Water District’s Water Quality Task Force.

City Manager Karen Diemer describes Pereira as, “a champion for housing, protecting those most vulnerable in our community, committed to breaking barriers to build racial equity and maintaining strong local infrastructure to support residents and businesses,” and added, “Sofia has a sharp mind for developing sensible public policy that will serve this community for generations to come. She will be missed as an Arcata City Council Member, but I am certain we will continue to benefit from her leadership at the County level.”

In a letter submitted today, Pereira shared the difficulty of her decision to resign in order to accept her appointment as Humboldt County’s new Public Health Director:

Dear Arcata,

I am submitting my resignation from the Arcata City Council, effective Friday, June 25, 2021. Starting June 27, I will begin a new chapter as the Public Health Director for the County of Humboldt, Department of Health and Human Services. I am honored and excited to take on this new role to serve our community and improve our community’s health and wellbeing. However, this decision was not taken lightly and prompts me to reflect on our time together since December 2014.

Serving the people of Arcata as a council member and your mayor has been an immense privilege. I am grateful to have been entrusted with the stewardship of our city budget, services, and planning for the future. I am grateful to all who engaged with the city’s work, pushing us to do better and be better.

Together we advanced the development and protection of affordable housing and created the tenant-based rental assistance program to keep our low-income neighbors housed. We expanded our city trail system and improved safe routes to school. We created new partnerships to support our most vulnerable, connecting mental health staff with our police department, and strengthened partnerships with service providers like Arcata House Partnership to expand services for the homeless.

I am grateful to have shepherded some of these achievements, and yet, I could not advance these policies alone. I want to express my appreciation for my current and former council colleagues, our city manager, and city staff for their dedication to our city and for what I learned from each of them during my time on the council.

I have the utmost confidence that the city council will continue to advance the work of making Arcata a more equitable, healthy, and livable community for all Arcatans. Arcata, you are in good hands! And I will continue this mission for Arcata and the County. My career in public service began well before I was an elected official, and I will continue to serve the public’s interest beyond my time as an elected official.

Thank you again for the opportunity to lead and guide our community through many complex challenges. The work to improve our community’s health and wellbeing will take all of us, and while I will no longer be on the city council after June 25th, my commitment will continue.

With gratitude, Sofia

PS: I hope to see many of you at a Crabs game or the Saturday Farmers’ Market!

More information will be provided as it becomes available. For more information on the Arcata City Council and to review the Council’s upcoming meeting agendas, please visit cityofarcata.org.

Facebooktwitterpinterestmail

Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules

Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/

Subscribe
Notify of
guest

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

8 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments
UnflappableJack
Guest
UnflappableJack
2 years ago

Seems like the perfect person to carry on the Covid hysteria.

onlooker
Guest
onlooker
2 years ago

You seem to be in a flap over a public health issue that can be resolved with personal cooperation and a vaccination.

chopsolutely
Guest
chopsolutely
2 years ago

beware! there’s gay marxism in the vaccine!

Más Puto
Guest
Más Puto
2 years ago

3,2,1…Here comes the racist remarks, as usual!!!!

I like stars
Guest
I like stars
2 years ago
Reply to  Más Puto

Looks like maybe you are the only one bringing up race. Projection?

Me
Guest
Me
2 years ago

Seems to me that someone in such a position should have some sort of medical background, not just a PR hack. She might be a great personality, but I would think a medical person would have been a better choice.

Peaseblossom
Guest
Peaseblossom
2 years ago

Public health has a Medical director. Legions of nurses. What the general public does not understand is that the director position REQUIRES being a very good communicator and have an understanding of the LEGISLATIVE process. Sofia has both. She has all the right experience and the energy to get the job done. Look at her resume. And BTW, she will most likely get an MPH, just like several other directors did while serving in this position. Welcome Sophia!!!!

cutomorrow
Guest
cutomorrow
2 years ago
Reply to  Peaseblossom

Sophia will do well in this position